Tess Hamilton Irons is excited about her new job prospect overseas. Her husband Sebastian has second thoughts. He acquiesces to his wife so she can have her dream job in his hometown of London, a city brimming with excitement and adventure at every turn—not all of it good.

Lady Lily Irons’ menacing persona looms large as Sebastian vows to protect his family at all costs. With the help of an unexpected ally, Sebastian begins a search for the father he never knew.

In a split second, the life they know is blown to bits and Sebastian is forced to pick up the pieces. Can he reclaim the life he loved or is the inevitable change a good thing?

Friendship, love, lust, tragedy, and triumph combine in the thrilling conclusion to the Love’s Great Adventure series.

18+ for sexual situations

Sebastian guided Mattie through the rooms at the Tate Gallery, holding her small, delicate hand in his. Something caught her eye and she pulled her father toward the painting.

She looked up to him and said, “Pick me up, Daddy. I want to see better.”

Sebastian obliged, lifting her up and cradling her in his arms. “You’re getting too big, Mattie.” He smiled, secretly delighted that she still loved to be held by him.

She studied the painting of several women walking down a curved stone staircase, playing musical instruments. They were wearing thin, gossamer tunics and their red spirals of hair were elegantly coiffed atop their heads. “I like this one. It’s pretty. Who made it?”

“This painting is by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. It was painted in 1880.”

“Wow, that’s old.”

“Yes, it is,” Sebastian agreed. “What do you like about the painting?” he quizzed his daughter.

“They look like angels, Daddy.”

“Do you notice how they all have the same face?” Mattie nodded. “Why is that, Daddy?”

“Well, you see, the woman who posed for the painter was his muse.”

“What’s a muse?” the child asked.

“A muse is someone who inspires you to create beautiful things,” Sebastian explained. “The painter was so inspired by this woman, he made all the ladies in the painting look just like her.”

“Was he married to her?”

Sebastian chuckled. How on earth did this little one come up with these questions? “No, he wasn’t married to her.” He didn’t have the heart to tell herthe muse was the artist’s mistress—nor did he want to explain to his four-year-old what a mistress was.

“Was he in love with her?” Mattie countered.

“Yes, he was madly in love with her,” Sebastian replied, touching the tip of his nose to hers. “Just like I’m madly in love with you.”

“I love you, too,” Mattie replied with a giggle.

He gently set her back down on her feet and looked at his Rolex. “It’s almost noon. We should get going if we’re going to meet your mum for lunch.”

“We can come back here later?” “Absolutely,” her father agreed.

They made their way down the marble staircase and toward the main entrance door. “Daddy, my shoe is untied,” Mattie said, looking down at her long shoelace that was resting on the floor.

“Do you want me to tie it for you?” Sebastian offered to help.

“No, I can do it.” She bent over and meticulously made two loops with the shoe strings and tied them. Sebastian watched intently until she finished the task. She stood up and took her father’s hand and almost bumped into an older woman as she took a step forward.

Sebastian stopped in his tracks. The woman standing in front of him was his mother. She hadn’t changed at all. She still wore a tailored designer suit, sensible pumps, and her hair was pulled back in the usual updo. His mouth went dry. It had been seven years since their disastrous encounter—the encounter that changed his life for the better.

“Sebastian?” She said his name in the form of a question, obviously taken aback to find him standing in front of her after all these years. She turned to observe the small, adorable child standing next to him, who had Sebastian’s brown hair and blue eyes.

“I’m Mattie Irons. We have the same last name!” Mattie extended her small hand to shake her grandmother’s.

Sebastian instinctively stood in front of Mattie to act as a buffer between his mother and his daughter. Mattie peered around his thigh.

“This is your child?” Lily asked in amazement.

Sebastian turned and protectively picked Mattie up in his arms. “Come on, Mattie. We’ll be late for lunch with your mum.”

“Do we get to take the Tube?” Mattie asked with enthusiasm.

“Yes, we’ll go on a little adventure,” Sebastian smiled.

Mattie turned back to face Lily. “It was nice to meet you,” she said as Sebastian quickly brushed past his mother and eagerly exited the museum.

Once outside, the cool air hit Sebastian in the face and snapped him out of his shock. He continued to hold Mattie in his arms, and with a quick pace walked down the road toward Pimlico Station. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

“Daddy, was that lady our family?” she asked, looking back over her father’s shoulder.

“No, Mattie,” he curtly replied.

“But she has the same last name as we do,” she protested.

“Yes. But you’ll find that just because someone shares your last name, that does not make them family.”

“Aunt Sigourney is family.”

“And so is Aunt Alice, Uncle Henry, and Aunt Penny, but they don’t have our last name,” Sebastian politely reminded her. What was he doing trying to reason with a four year old? He decided to change the subject. “How about we pick up some flowers for mummy in the train station? What should we buy her?”

Thankfully, Mattie was easily distracted. “A big bouquet! We should get Gerbera daisies and roses and tiger lilies.”

“Tiger lilies? I don’t think they’re in season right now.”

“I don’t care, Daddy. I like the name. Grrrr!” She scrunched her nose, bared her teeth, and clawed her hands up in his face to mimic a tiger cub.

“Oh, you’re a very scary tiger, indeed.”

Sebastian and Mattie entered the Associated Press building and rode the elevator to the twenty-fifth floor. They walked over to the front desk and Sebastian introduced himself. “Hello, we’re here to see Tess Irons. Can you please let her know her husband and daughter are here to take her to lunch?”

The receptionist smiled down at Mattie and then picked up the receiver to make the call. A few minutes later, Tess was walking toward them.

“We bought you flowers for your first day of work,” a beaming Mattie announced.

Tess looked at the large bouquet of daisies and roses. “I love them, thank you. Let’s go put them on my desk and I’ll grab my purse and we can be on our way.”

Tess walked them through a maze of cubicles. There was a busy excitement in the newsroom: people on the phone, some typing away on computers, others rushing about the floor. It was controlled chaos and Sebastian understood immediately why Tess loved her job. They entered the three-walled cubicle and Mattie took a seat in her mother’s swivel chair. Tess placed the vase of flowers next to the photo of the three of them in Central Park.

“Come, Mattie. Mummy only has an hour for lunch,” Sebastian reminded his daughter.

They sat in a nearby park, eating take-away sandwiches while Mattie ran around the lush green grass, burning off energy. “How is your first day going?” Sebastian asked, after swallowing a bite of his prawn sandwich.

“Good, I thought it might be hard, but the procedures are the same, it’s just getting to know everyone on the team. I’m happy.” Tess sat back and gave Sebastian a long, hard look. “How is your day? You seem a little off. Is Mattie driving you crazy?”

“I took Mattie to the Tate Gallery this morning and had the misfortune to run into Lily.”

“Oh my God, what happened?”

“We bumped into her as we were leaving. Mattie was all talk and smiles. I was in shock—all I could think about was getting Mattie out of there and protecting her.”

“You did, Bas. You’re an amazing father,” Tess said to comfort him.

“Lily was gobsmacked to see me with a child in tow.”

“Yes, I would imagine so.” Tess reached over and took his hand. “She doesn’t know where we live. She cut you out of the family. Please don’t let this rattle you.”

“I suppose you’re right. It wouldn’t be realistic to think I could live in London and not run into her eventually.” Sebastian let out a weary sigh. “I guess it is better that it happened sooner than later.”

“Sebastian, you take care of us, you protect us. There is no one else I’d ever want to have my back. I love you.”

He pulled Tess into his arms and hugged her tight. “Thank you, darling,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re right. She can’t hurt us. I won’t let her.”

Theresa Troutman lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their crazy dog, Niko. She loves reading, theatre and traveling. Her books include: My Secret Summer, A Special Connection and the Love's Great Adventure Series: Life's What You Make It and Love This Life. London Loves will be release in the fall of 2014.